Passed!

Today I took and passed the FAA Airman Knowledge Exam! 60 questions long and I had two and a half hours to complete. I finished in one hour and thirty-two minutes. Passing score is 70% and I received a 77%. I pass it with a comfortable margin.
 



The testing site was at Zeller Aircraft Corp at John C. Tune Airport. It was a computer based test and I sat in a glass enclosed room.

The only item left is for me to take the check ride.

Test Fee: $150.00

Completion!

This last flight was a huge milestone for me. I have now met every FAA requirement for the private pilot!  I was shooting for completion in 55 hours (average is 70 hours) and it looks like I came pretty close.  The only thing left is for me to pass the exams.

 There are three different exams I’ll need to pass:

• Knowledge exam – Just as it implies, it is a computer based exam which tests basic knowledge of aeronautics and FFA requirements. It is 60 questions long, and is randomly taken from a list of about 650 published questions.
• Oral exam – This is a conversation the pilot will have with an FAA examiner where they prove they can apply the knowledge. There are no set questions for this exam, the examiner will just ask the pilot to explain how they would handle some possible situations.
• Practical exam – This is where the pilot will fly with the examiner and required to demonstrate skills of operating an aircraft. It will start off with flying a cross country flight (yet the examiner will usually divert the flight before completion) and then the examiner will require the pilot to demonstrate a list of maneuvers (all of which I have discussed on this blog).

I have the knowledge exam scheduled for 12/29/11 and the passing score is 70%. Over the past couple weeks I have taken practice exams and have consistently pasted.

The oral and practical exams usually take place on the same day and are referred to as the “check ride”. I hope to schedule that shortly.

Final Solo Flight

Today I had to finish up the remainder of my outstanding solo time needed for my license. I flew with CFI, Mark Clark. In addition, I wanted to get more experience navigating using a VHF omnidirectional radio (VOR). I have only worked with it once, and it was months ago. VOR is the traditional form of navigating with complete accuracy. Well, at least prior to GPS. Yet, even with GPS equipped aircrafts, the VOR can be very helpful.

Location of the VOR at Nashville Int. Airport

This is a sample of what the VOR may look like up close

I have no idea who this instructor is, but he does a good job explaining the VOR.

I pre-flight checked the Cessna 172 (N5146R) and took off of runway 20C. At 2,000 MSL, I headed for the 045 radial headed towards Sumner County Regional Airport. North of Nashville, we worked with the VOR and then landed at Sumner County Regional Airport. I did a couple of landings with Mark and then I let him out and I flew the traffic pattern for about 1.5 hours. I preformed about 20 landings and take offs.

This aircraft (N5146R) is much older (built in 1974) than other airplanes I have flown in the past. It still has all of the same features, but one item it does not have is fuel injection, which means that carburetor icing is very likely. Carburetor heat is the answer. Since landing is the most critical, it is standard to apply carburetor heat once power is pulled back for landing. This added one extra step in the landing procedure to remember, but after a few landings, it became part of the habit.

Oh, and no blog post of a solo flight would be complete without some pictures.

Getting ready to line up on runway 35

Overlooking the airport

On "Final" to land on Runway 35

I get asked all of the time, “Can you really read all of those dials in the cockpit and know what they mean?” The answer is of course, yes, but I thought it may be helpful if I decoded it some on the blog. I took this picture on this flight and here is what I can say about the aircraft at the moment I snapped it. This aircraft is currently in straight flight at 1,450 feet above mean sea level (MSL), yet descending slowly. The aircraft is traveling south / southwest at about 100knots per hour. This aircraft is preparing to land.

I can tell the speed by the dial in the upper left corner. The altitude by the dial in the upper right corner. The direction by the heading indicator in the middle left. I can tell it is descending by the vertical speed indicator (VSI) in the middle right. Finally the Carburetor heat is out (green arrow) to start the landing procedure.



Another great day in the air!



This flight means that I now have 10.5 hours of solo flight time, which meets the requirement for my license.

Total Flight time: 2.80 hours
Pilot in Command time: 1.5 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $322.00, Instructor Fee - $112.00

Pratice for the Test

The last week or so it has been raining, so I was pleased to see that today was clear. Since I’m nearing the end of my training we spent some time focusing on preparing for the FAA check ride. The check ride is the practical exam for the FAA to review the skills of a new pilot. Basically it is like the aviation version of going to the DMV. All pilots have to complete it, and some pilots have to complete several (depending on their license).


After discussing what would be tested, we pre-flight checked the Cessna 172 (N434EP) and took off of runway 20C. During the first attempt to take off, the engine was making a funny noise, so we aborted the take off. When we taxied off the runway, we noticed that I had the engine running on only one magneto. The aircraft would have taken off, but would not be running efficiently. When I completed the run-up check, I must have not switched it back to both. Not very dangerous, but a good lesson in attention to detail.

Next, we took off towards the north and practiced stalls (2nd stall link), ground maneuvers, slow flight, and simulated engine failures. Finally, we flew to Sumner County Regional Airport and practiced short field landings.

It was great to practice, and I was glad to see that I could still complete these maneuvers. With some of these, it was my first time executing them in the C172.

Tracking My Flight

This past week Gene Zalewski showed me that my flight from Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54) to Humphreys County Airport (0M5) on November 26, 2011 was tracked on line at flightaware.com, a company which offers free flight tracking services for both private and commercial air traffic in the United States.

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N434EP/history/20111126/1900Z/M54/0M5

Click on  "track log & graph" for more details.

As Gene pointed out “The maps, graphs and charts show your speed, direction, altitude, and reporting facility, etc,. minute by minute”  I assumed this information was obtained from my ATC records after I requested flight following.

While my course wasn’t as smooth as I depicted on my chart, it was still spot on. I guess this proves that I tell the truth on this blog.


Actual Flight Path



My depiction of the flight

Thanks Gene!

Long Cross Country Flight

It has been a month since my last flight. This was not by design, but weather has canceled several of my flights. It was good to be back in the air.

Today I scheduled my “long” cross country flight. I’m required to make one solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points and with one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations. Most of my solo flights do not originate from Nashville’s International Airport. We usually fly to a nearby smaller airport and start from there.

It is common to pick a flight plan where the starting point is also the destination. Days before my flight I planned my flight. I decided to start at Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54), then fly to Portland Municipal Airport (1M5), next to Humphreys County Airport (0M5), and then finally back to Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54). The total flight would be 161 nautical miles.

This would require me to fly right over Nashville. I planned to fly that leg of the trip at 5,500 feet and since the ceiling of Nashville’s airspace in 4,600, it would be no problem.

When I met up with my Von (my CFI), he informed me that the first leg of the trip needs to be at least 50 nautical miles. I haven’t seen that requirement in my research, but I’ll take his word on it. Since I planned my first leg to be a short 25 km flight, I would have to reverse my flight plan.

After checking the weather, I found it to be sunny but windy today. Winds were out of the south gusting up to 30 knots. In addition, cloud cover was broken at about 5,000 feet. My flight was still doable, but winds would be bouncing me around. In addition, since the clouds were so low, Von suggested that I fly the trip at 2,500 feet.

Since it had been so long since my last flight I was nervous about soloing. Would I remember how to fly? Is it like riding a bicycle, which you never forget? It is Thanksgiving Day weekend so would the notoriously busy air travel cause a problem?

We pre-flight checked the Cessna 172 (434EP) and headed to Lebanon. The wind did make it a challenge. First of all, when I was flying downwind of the traffic pattern, the wind caused me to be faster than desirable. Which meant I had to burn off a lot more speed on base and final than normal. Then, on approach, the wind was pushing me around and I had to focus to stay on the center line. My first landing I faired out a little high, but nothing too troublesome. I did a couple more landings and was relieved that I still knew how to fly.

Next, I stopped the plane, let Von out, re-fueled completely, and headed for runway 19. A fun little fact about the Lebanon airport is that it also has runway 4/22 which is a grass strip used for light sport aircrafts.



Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54)

I took off on runway 19 and headed west towards Humphreys County (I also had the GPS tracking my progress). I contacted Nashville Approach (air traffic controlling the middle TN area) to request VFR flight following. I had hoped they would allow me to fly right through Nashville, yet I was disappointed when they started to vector south of the Nashville airspace. I assume it was because I was now flying so low that I may be in the way of arriving/departing airliners. They did have me fly over Smyrna Airport, which is something I hadn’t done since I stopped flying the Diamond Aircrafts.

 

Smyrna Airport at 2,500 MSL

   Since they altered my route, my check points were now invalid and I had to fly the course headings directed by ATC and the GPS. About mid-way through my flight, ATC requested I fly at 3,500 feet (to stay on the radar) and then they transferred my service to the Memphis Center.



110 knots, at 2,450 MSL, slowly descending

About 10 miles from the airport, ATC notifies me that the “airport is 10 miles at 12-o-clock” and that they were discontinuing radar service. I informed them that I was a student pilot on a solo flight and that I would appreciate it if they would stay with me until I had a visual on the airport. These small airports can be hard to see, especially by untrained eyes like mine. I usually don’t see the airport until I’m about 3 miles out. In addition, Humphreys County Airport has a skydiving program there and I was concerned about getting in the middle of a bunch of jumpers.



Humphreys County Airport (0M5)


I found the airport without any problem and it was completely vacant (I assume the strong winds made it a poor day to jump). As I set up to land at runway 21, during final approach I noticed that I was still too high and fast so I aborted the landing and went around for another landing. This time I landed with no problem. I taxied to the ramp and shut down the plane so I could call Von (and Katie) to provide an update.



On the ground at Humphreys County Airport - wind is blowing

When I went to start the aircraft, I couldn’t get the engine to turn over. I had surmised that I flooded the engine, but wasn’t able to determine how to correct it. I called Von back and he agreed it was mostly flooded. He gave me some instructions (full throttle and completely lean) and it started right up!


I took off at Humphreys County and headed to Portland. I was now traveling with a strong tailwind, so my ground speed was over 110 knots (about 126 mph). This flight was perfect.  I spotted all of my check points and was at Portland in quick time. To give a frame of reference, Google maps says it would be a 119 mile drive taking 2 hours and 18 minutes, where as it took me about 37 minutes to fly there.


A corn maze form the air



As far as the eye can see

Once again, I asked ATC to stay with me until I had a visual with the airport, which I had no problem finding. I approached runway 19 with a soft landing. This was my first time at Portland Airport and, once again, it was completely vacant.


Can you spot the airport?  About 3 miles away




Portland Municipal Airport (1M5)


Finally, I headed back to Lebanon airport and landed smoothly. Due to the headwinds, I traveled to Lebanon at a much slower 67 knots speed. There is an old saying in flying cross country flights: “The fuel tank is never full enough and the bladder is never empty enough.” While at Lebanon airport, I took care of both of those situations. We then flew back to Nashville.

No fanfare, but another milestone completed nonetheless.

Total Flight time: 3.50 hours

Pilot in Command time: 2.7 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $402.50, Instructor Fee - $140.00

One Step Closer

This evening I flew the Cessna 172 (5146R) back to M33. This time I wore the IFR hood for everything but landing and take offs.

Once there, we fueled the aircraft and I soloed it for a while in the traffic pattern. Another great flight and not I have completed all of my simulated instrument time required by the FAA for a private pilot. I’m one step closer to my goal.

Total Flight time: 1.50 hours
Simulated Instrument (IFR hood) time: 1.0 hours
Pilot in Command time: 0.2 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $175.50, Instructor Fee - $60.00

Night Flight

Today was my 2nd night flight in the Cessna 172 (434EP). The winds aloft were pretty strong at about 30 knots, but near the ground they were minimal.


This time we went to Sumner County Regional Airport (M33) just north of Nashville. I performed four landings (plus one returning to Nashville) at M33, the final one without the lights on. Landing at night is really the same as landing during the day, but the line of sight is much shorter. One major concern at landing at these small airports is wildlife on the runway. It is not uncommon to see deer and other animals searching for food in what appears to them as a quiet field. Everyone has seen what can happen to a car if it hits a dear, one can only imagine what would happen to a small plane?



Sumner County Regional Airport





I have now completed my required 3 hours of night flight, but I’m a little sad. It is very beautiful flying at night and I really enjoyed it. I guess the next time I fly at night I will be a licensed pilot.

Flight Time: 1.5 hours
Cost: Plane rental – 172.50, Instructor Fee - $60.00

Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk

This week I made one of the biggest purchases of supplies. It has long been my plan to upgrade my headphones as I advanced in my training. Then I would transition my current headset for passenger use.

I did a lot of research prior to making my decision. There are several different brands and features to choose from, but the feature the feature that was most desirable was to get a ANR headset.

The active noise reduction (ANR) headset is a relatively new technology that is especially effective at reducing low frequency noise, such as the engine and propeller noise in a light aircraft.

ANR was first conceived in the 1930s and had started showing up in science fiction stories by the 1950s, but it was the 1970s before mainstream scientists began to investigate the possibility seriously. ANR technology didn't become a reality in general aviation until the 1990s.

Here's how it works: A tiny microphone, typically placed in the earcup of a headset, picks up noise inside the earcup. That information is transmitted to the headset's electronics, which drive a speaker, also inside the earcup, to produce a noise that is the exact mirror image of the original noise. In other words the "trough" of one sound wave (the noise caused by the propeller) corresponds to the "crest" of another (the "antinoise" created by the headset). When the sound waves collide, they cancel each other out; so what you hear is the sweet sound of silence.

That's not to say that an ANR headset will leave you unable to hear the important things going on around you like air traffic controller instructions and the hum of the engine that lets you know everything is as it should be. ANR works most effectively on low-frequency noise. (This is the kind of noise that causes permanent hearing loss across all frequencies, if experienced over a long period of time.) ANR does very little to affect the relatively higher frequencies of, for example, voices. In addition, it really only works well for tonal noises those sounds containing a very limited number of frequencies, such as propeller noise; so you still hear broadband, mixed frequency sounds, such as the wind flowing over the airframe. You can also tell when a sound changes. So, if the rhythmic pulse of the propeller is altered by the addition or loss of power, your ears will tell you about it.

My current David Clark H10-30 Headset has passive noise control. It works by muffling noise, as when you put your hands over your ears. Passive headsets use thick earpads, often of gel (mine are gel, which is better) or foam, to create a seal around each ear. Clamping action keeps the seal tight against your head, but sunglasses and even hair can get between the ear seals and the side of your face, significantly reducing the effectiveness of passive noise reduction.

The problem is that ANR headset can run up to $1,200, which was far outside of my price range. That is when I found the Rugged Air RA950 ANR Headset. At a more reasonable $383.95, it was just what I was looking for. Also the reviews were great.

Most likely, I’ll be keeping this headset for decades (my current one is for the mid-eighties) so I am hopeful it will be a good investment.



Speed

Today was a nice calm morning for a flight, so we took out the DA40 (385DC) for a cross country flight to Crossville Memorial-Whitson Field (CSV).

Crossville Memorial-Whitson Field Airport

The flight went fine, but the highlight of this trip was flying on the way back at 6,500 MSL. Since we were running a few minutes late, I took the plane to the limit and did a power-on descend. This means at full speed we started to descend. This of course made the plane fly very fast, at about 185 knots/hr (my personal record).  The speed limit for that airspace is 250 knots.  One of the advantages of an adjustable pitch propeller is you can increase speed without exceeding the max RPMs for the engine.

Once again, it was very awkward flying this plane and I have come to the conclusion that I want to wait until after I get my license to spend time on learning the glass cockpit of this aircraft. The G1000 is great, but it is just adding more time, cost and frustration and isn’t really getting me closer to my goal.

Flight Time: 1.8 hours
Cost: Plane rental – 268.20, Instructor Fee - $84.00

Co-Pilot For Life

To obtain my license, I need a total of 3 hours of night flight (no solo night is required), including a cross country flight with at least ten landings.  Currently I have about a half hour of night time with 1 night landing. During my last flight with Von (CFI at Nashville Flight School), we discussed working on this during my next lesson. He also suggested I bring a guest as it can be very pretty at night.

Of course, Kate was my first pick. Throughout this process Kate has been worried, although supportive. She has had to pick up the slack around the house and with Rome, as I have been absent during my training. She is very much appreciated.

When I asked her to become my first passenger (well, her and baby girl) she quickly, yet reluctantly, agreed. I was very excited, but nervous to provide her with a good first impression of general aviation flying.

Does she looks worried or excited?

Looks like a natural in those headphones!

My appointment was at 7pm, which in October is dark enough. We discussed the plan, which was to fly west to Humphreys County Airport (0M5), make a few landings and then fly back to Nashville International Airport (BNA) in the C172 (N434EP). This means we’ll be able to enjoy the view as we fly right over downtown Nashville at night. Winds were calm and the visibility was greater than 10 miles (I’m sure visibility was much greater, but they do not specify visibility beyond 10 miles).

Pre-Flight Check - Fuel

We took off of runway 2C and headed west at 4,500 feet. Nashville was beautiful, like looking at Christmas lights for miles. With the weather so cool and mild, the flight was smooth and calm.

Downtown Nashville at 4,500 feet

Once we flew past the city, everything went black. Most of middle Tennessee is pretty rural once you get a few minutes outside of the city, so we could distinguish very little between the sky and the ground. This flight required a lot of trust in technology, skills, and proper aviation techniques. Once our eyes adjusted, we could follow I40 and locate the rotating beacons at Dickson Airport and Humphreys County Airport. The GPS was also helpful.

Humphreys County Airport

We did three landings on runway 3 at 0M5, each time taxiing back on the runway because Humphreys County Airport does not have any taxiways. I was very careful to not make any steep turns or quick changes in altitude so Kate could have a pleasant experience. Overall I was pleased with the flight and Kate said she had a good time.

Landing back at BNA was really fun. As I looked at the airport, I felt like I was in command of a Boeing 747. The landing at BNA was my 5th night flight landing.

Since I have started my aviation adventure, I have had several wonderful experiences that will last a lifetime. Tonight was one of them, and I was glad I could share it with my co-pilot for life.

Pilot and Co-Pilot

Flight Time: 1.7 hours
Cost: Plane rental – 195.50, Instructor Fee - $68.00

Garmin 1000

Tonight, I was back at Smyrna reviewing the Garmin 1000 on the DA40. We never not off the ground, but spent a lot of time reviewing all of the features. It is absolutely amazing why this system can do and I don’t want to be hunting for different screens why in the air traveling 120 mph.

The goal is to fly a cross country next time.

Ground instruction: 2.75 hours
Cost: Plane rental – N/A, Instructor Fee - $110.00

1st Solo - Cessna 172

Today was a beautiful, clear, sunny days, and we took out the Cessna 172 (N434EP) to a busy John C. Tune Airport. Spend the day flying the traffic pattern.


My endorsement to solo an aircraft expired on 9/30/11 since it has been 90 days since I was first endorsed to fly solo. On the last landing, I taxied to the ramp, Von Gains (my CFI at Nashville Flight School) endorsed me to fly the C172 solo. I took another trip around the traffic pattern and had a smooth landing.

I picked Von back up and we flew back to Nashville International Airport. This time I handled all of the communications with ATC.

Another successful flight. So I spent about one and a half days without the ability to fly solo. Feels good to have it back.

Flight Time: 2.2 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $253.00, Instructor Fee - $88.00

Questions from the Readers

Now that you have driven the Cessna more than once, is there a liking for this type of plane over the "stick" type? I would think that the size difference would lean liking toward the Cessna.


I think would better to compare it to the Diamond DA40, since they both have 4 seats. The design of the Cessna does make it easier to get in and out of. Also, the Cessna 172 seems to land smoother, yet it does more pressure to during the flare up phase of t he landing, which I assume is because it is so heavy in the front. Speaking of being heavier, some of the Diamond aircraft, since they were originally designed to be gliders, get impacted by the wind more than the Cessna.

One item I like about the Diamond aircraft is the placement of the throttle. It is located in center console and you can comfortably keep your hand on it all of the time, just like a gear shifter in the in a car. This allows for gentle tweeting of the power without having to reach for the throttle, which is required in the Cessna.

Also, the turning ratio appears to be longer in the Cessna than in the Diamond.

It is hard to judge a favorite, especially since the Diamonds I have been flying are so much newer that the Cessnas. I think if I fly by myself, I’ll use the Diamond. If I fly with passengers, I’ll use the Cessna since it is more comfortable. I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date.

What does cross-country trip planning entail?

The FAA defines a cross country trip as anything greater than 50 miles. The distance you can fly without stopping has everything to do with the fuel on board. The first thing a pilot does call for a weather brief (and maybe file a flight plan). Next, the pilot plots the course on the sectional chart and indentifies any visual checkpoints along the route. Next the need to calculate the heading with wind direction correction and compass deviation. Finally, the pilot will calculate fuel consumption based upon the weather conditions and how long it will take to get from one checkpoint to the next.

There is a lot of math involved. I’m sure there are programs to assist in this process, but the FAA wants to see that the pilot is able to do it the old fashion was.

What do we know about propellers? I think most are made of wood, maybe Ashe like baseball bats, or maybe aluminum too. How is size and pitch determined? I've seen "props" with various numbers of blades, two, three and even four. What is the determining factor? Why are some mounted on the nose and some on the wings?

Correct, the propellers are usual made of wood or aluminum. Which they use depends on the intended use and care. Wood can be compromised by wet weather, where as aluminum can be impacted by extreme heat.

The number of propellers is selected by the size of the engine. More propellers can “bite” more air, creating more thrust, yet it can also cause more drag. The engineers can also make the propellers fatter, but there is a point of diminishing return. A bigger engine will allow for more propellers. Eventually, more propellers and bigger engine still doesn’t increase performance, so that is why the jet engine was developed.

Most single props will be mounted on the nose of the aircraft. It is not until the engineers add a second engine that they mount them on the wings. The goal is to get air moving equally across the wings.

Do you feel safe in these small aircraft?

Well there is an inherent danger in flying of which I’m keenly aware of, yet with the knowledge I have gained over the past few months, I have learned that a lot has to happen before something can go wrong. Planes don’t just fall out of the sky. In addition, the bumps from wind and turbulence are more anticipated. In the beginning, when there was a sudden unexpected movement in the aircraft, I would feel a momentary panic. Now, I hardly notice them. Once example: once I have completed my take off, and reach a safe altitude, I elevate the flaps to natural. This affects the aerodynamics of the aircraft and you can feel the change. Now after about 140 takeoffs, my body recognizes it as normal, and I hardly notice it.

I feel safe, but I hope I will always be Über-vigilant on safety and not be too complacent.

Update - Almost There

Now that I have the second page in my log book complete, this is a great time to provide an update on my progress. As I had suspected, I am near the required 40 hours of flight time by October. In addition to the required hours, I have to meet specific criteria, some of which I’m still short. Learning the additional aircrafts (Cessna 172 & DA40) will extend my training time some, but I should still be far below the national average of 70 hours for private pilot.

As in the past, I have disclosed the true costs of flying, so below is a summary. I still have a few expenses I’ll incur, especially since the DA40 is a more expensive. As for supplies, the only items on my list are a new headset and possibly a flight bag. Also, there may be some additional test fees when I apply for my license.

Now is the time I need to really look at preparing for the written exam. When I’m ready for my oral and practical test, I don’t want them to be delayed because I haven’t completed/passed the written exam.

DA40 with a Glass Cockpit

After flying the 2 seater DA20s for a while, the natural progression is transition to the Diamond Star DA40. At first glance, one will notice that the power plant is bigger and this aircraft has four seats (although the useful load is about 900 lbs, which can make it difficult to carry four adults with all of their luggage).



Then a closer inspection will reveal that there are two separate fuel tanks located in the wings. Then looking in the cockpit once will notice a blue level between the throttle and the fuel mixture valve. This blue knob controls the variable pitch propeller which is a type of propeller with blades that can be rotated around their long axis to change their pitch to take better advantage of the power supplied by an engine in much the same way that a transmission in a car takes better advantage of its power source. The mechanism varies depending on the aircraft, but the effect is to change the angle of attack of the propeller blades to take a smaller or larger "bite" of air as it rotates.  As a general rule, the pilot should avoid high manifold pressure with low r.p.m. setting.  This offers a huge advantage over the traditional fixed-pitched propeller, but it is one more item in the cockpit the pilot needs to monitor.

While most of the DA40s will have these features, I opted to learn on the 2009 Diamond Star DA-40 XLS (N385DS). The most obvious difference is the Garmin G1000. All of the traditional instruments (almost all) have been replaced by two computer screens.



This technology is fantastic. Not only will it show the best route, but it will give you tons of information like when you are flying to close to terrain, when other aircraft are nearby, or even weather reports. This plane can even fly itself as it is equipped with an autopilot (note the red button on the stick is the autopilot cancel button). With a setup like this, they call it a “glass cockpit”, since the pilot is looking at a glass screen rather than traditional steam gauges.


In addition to the items I mentioned above, there are dozens of additional features that this aircraft has. While these can all be very helpful to the pilot, it was extremely overwhelming getting in the cockpit for the first time. The pilot needs to make multiple quick decisions based upon the information available. This is not a lot of time to flip through screens to find the altitude or what radio frequency I’m not.


The actually operation of the aircraft is very similar to the DA20, just land 10 kts faster, that’s about it (maybe a few other things). The focus of the transition is the operations of the instruments. I am told it expect 5 additional hours of training specific to this aircraft prior to being allowed to solo.


Today was a beautiful sunny day, and CFI Bruce Cherven was kind enough to fly with me and show me how everything worked. We took off of runway 19 and headed towards Shelbyville Municipal Airport (SYI), which is about 27 nm from Smyrna, plus it offered a VOR for navigation.


We practiced a couple of landings, which were not my best, and headed back home. It was getting dark at this point so I logged my first night hour (0.5 hours actually). If I thought airports were hard to spot during the day, it is even more difficult to find them at night. Luckily they have the lights directing towards the runway.


This was a great experience, but all in all I didn’t feel comfortable during this flight. Everything was so new to me that I felt like it was my first time flying.  I was just as overwhelmed as I was on my first flight.

Flight Time: 1.2 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $178.80, Instructor Fee - $68.00

Where have all the CFIs Gone?

It is fairly hidden from the public, but there is a looming pilot shortage happening. There are several reasons why that may be, but here are a few:

• In decades past, 80% of the pilots hired by airliners were recruited from the military. This has changed 80% of pilots now come civilian marketplace, which isn’t set up to supply the airliners with qualified pilots.
• Currently, about 75% of all students drop out before they even get their private pilot’s license
• Global air travel, especially in Asia, has dramatically increased, and is forecasted to grow even more. Since the universal aviation language is English, American pilots are being aggressively recruited to that market.
• Careers in aviation have been viewed as undesirable for the last decade. Made worst by comments from celebrity pilots like Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger saying he wouldn’t recommend an aviation career to anyone anymore.
• The pay and benefits are poor for new pilots.
• The most critical reason is that the baby boomers are hitting retirement age and are leaving the occupation in alarming numbers.

The sluggish economy and increased security concerns have hidden the shortage, but the industry will need to respond quickly before customers start to see service level decline even more.

Why does that matter to me? I have already mentioned that I have no intention of flying as a career (it does not allow for the work/life balance). Well the airliners are pulling recruits from the local small airports by hiring flight instructors. I’m happy to announce that my CFI, Adam Signaigo, has been hired by American Eagle. In addition to him, 2 flight instructors at Nashville Flight Training (where I have been flying the Cessna) have been picked up by commercial carriers.

While I’m happy for them, this has impacted the momentum of my training. I was heading into the final weeks of education when he left. Switching to a new instructor come with a set of new challenges. First I have to re-prove my skills, yet before I can, I have to re-learn a few a skills well. For example, Adam had me practice landing “on the numbers” (printed numbers on the runway) where as some instructors want me to land on the thousand foot mark. This is just a small adjustment, yet landing a plane is a lot of muscle memory, which requires me to re-learn how I land. This will add hours of additional training before I expect to test for my license.

Also, I’m disappointed in Wings of Eagle. One might expect someone from the school would have reached out to me to assist in transiting to a new instructor. In the last few months I have spend over $5,000 with Wings of Eagle, I don’t fault them from my instructor leaving, but it is reasonable to think that they would want to retain his students. Not one person from Wings of Eagle has approached me without me e-mailing them first.

I have observed that learning to fly isn’t a traditional educational experience, but has to really be driven by the student. The student has to have a plan and seek out the resources needed. If I wasn’t so focused on my goal, I can envision feeling really frustrated in this situation.

I have given it some thought, and even though I believe they could have handled this much better, I believe it is still in my best interest to continue to work with Wings of Eagle until I receive my pilot’s license.

On a side note, I may have also finished quicker had I not elected to transition to other aircrafts. This may delay my progress some, but I feel like I’ll have more enjoyment and better skills by having experience with a diverse groups of planes.

At the intersection of Donelson Pike and Taxiway “L”

Today was a perfect day for a flight at Nashville International Airport (BNA). I pre-checked the Cessna 172 (5146R) and we headed towards runway 20C. I handled the communications for the first time at a Class C airport.

In the C172, on Runway 20C, ready to take off!

Takeoff was perfect and we flew east towards Lebanon airport (M54). Once again, we stayed in the traffic. 9 take off and landings.

Before heading back to BNA, we practiced a simulated engine failure. It did go very well as I would not have hit my intended target. One of the differences with the C172 as compared to the DA20 is that the distance appears to be greater on the C172, thus I lost more altitude making the turn (and I wasn’t in position) then I had expected.

On the way back to the airport, I stayed “under the hood” for some more instrument training. The big fun this time was landing on runway 20L. Runway 20L is a normal 8,000 foot runway, yet it is on the other side of Donaldson Pike. I taxied back via taxiway L, which is the bridge over Donaldson Pike. Growing in Chicago, I’m use to seeing planes taxi on a bridge over a road, but it was fun to experience it myself.



This is what taxiway L looks like from Donaldson Pike 



Flight Time: 1.5 hours

Cost: Plane rental - $172.50, Instructor Fee - $60.00

More Fun In A 172

Today I headed back to the Nashville Flight Training school at Nashville International Airport (BNA) to with fly with CFI, Von Gains. This time we flew a 1974 Cessna 172M (5146R). This aircraft is the oldest plane I have ever had the opportunity to fly, yet the age of the aircraft is quite normal in general aviation. It is very common to see aircraft after aircraft built in the 60s and 70s take off at class D & E (small airports) airports.

This can sound unsafe when we think about how often a 7-10 year old car breaks down. It then becomes scary to think about flying in a 40 year old plane. Yet, aircraft usage is not measured in years, it is measured in hours. While a standard family care can be on the road 80 to 1,200 hours annually, a general aviation aircraft may be operating just a couple of hundred a year. In addition, most people drive their cars in all type of weather conditions (which can be hard on the vehicle), yet most private pilots only fly when the weather is ideal. Think about how often you neighbor’s motorcycle or vintage automobile gets driven, very similar.

Also, each airworthy aircraft are required to have an extensive annual inspection and maintenance, plus maintenance at every 100 hours of use. In addition, the pilot completes a detailed inspection of the plane before each flight. Most automobile drivers feel an oil change every couple of months is sufficient.

The biggest change I noticed with flying this aircraft over the prior (new) Cessna 172 I flew, was that it had a carburetor. All other planes I have been flying have been fuel injected, so no carburetor. The potential of carburetor icing (even in warm weather) is present, which may lead to engine failure. This is easily overcome with introducing carburetor heat.

Of course the potential for the most problems from an engine failure is during landing. Thus as a precaution, the pilot will engage carburetor heat as part of the landing procedure. It is just one lever to pull, but is did add to the complexity a little in the landing, as I had easily forgotten it a couple of times.

Since the clouds were low, we flew to John C. Tune Airport and stayed in the traffic pattern and practiced landings. The other item that made landing more complex was the flaps adjustments were more manual. I am use to flipping a switch and the flaps would automatically set to a specific angle. On this plane the pilot engages the flaps and has to verify when it reaches the desired angle.



Carb heat in blue, throttle in yellow, flaps in green, trim tab in orange circle

 The highlight of the flight was when we were returning to BNA, we were directed to land on runway 20C. This put us in a position to fly directly over my house. Not a life changing event, but a neat addition to the flight.

Flight Time: 1.3 hours
Cost: Plane rental - $149.50, Instructor Fee - $52.00

Say Again

One of the many benefits of the AOPA is that they host seminars throughout the country, most are free. This evening I attended one of these seminars at the Nashville International Airport. The topic was “Say Again? Radio Communication Done Right” (basically radio communications).


Out of the 60 plus attendees, only a handful were students like me, so some of the information went over my head, yet I still found some useful information. Even better, they had some air traffic controllers present.

The most helpful part was the Q&A section, as I got to hear the more experienced pilots were asking.

Overall this was a great experience. I did notice the audience was mainly older (55-70 years old) white men. I saw maybe 4 women, a handful of guys below 40 and only one black person. Around the airport, I noticed there wasn’t much diversity, but having everyone in one room really highlighted it. Not sure why this hobby (or career) appeals to such a select demographic. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to fly…